A 2-year-old child was not injured after being dropped from atop the 18-foot-high border wall in San Diego into its father's arms, U.S. Border Patrol agents said Wednesday.
San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents witnessed the event shortly after midnight on Sunday.
While utilizing remote video surveillance systems (RVSS), agents observed a group of individuals illegally enter the U.S. by climbing over the border wall. While monitoring the group, RVSS operators observed a small child being suspended from atop the border wall and dropped to an awaiting person below, USBP said.
Agents arrived on the scene and arrested the group. After further investigation, it was revealed that the smuggler dropped the child into the arms of the child's father below. The child was not injured, USBP said.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“This event could have been catastrophic,” said U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke. “It is not only unlawful, but inherently dangerous to cross the border anywhere outside of a designated port of entry.”
Both the father and child were determined to be citizens of Ghana with no legal status inside the U.S.
